Ah, thanks a heap for proceeding to Chapter Two here! ^^
The city they visit is just a random fictional one, in an English-speaking place in the US with a snowy Christmas. The posters on the diner wall, with the "black-haired man flaunting spangled outfits and outlandish poses," are of Elvis Presley.
Lastly, the answer to the joke in the chapter below is "No idea", as in 'No-eyed deer.' When I first saw this joke ages ago in an old magazine, I thought it was the most ingenious one in the world. Anyway, read on!
If Heimdall thought Thor's idea for their newest journey was childish, the Gatekeeper had not shown it, except for the slight pause before he consented to send them to Midgard. As if the two brothers had embarked upon a crucial mission, the gold eyes had remained so solemn in the gilded darkness of the Observatory and as the pair was inhaled into the tunnel of kaleidoscopic light. So it was nearly a surprise when they stepped out into a deserted alleyway of the snow-laden city they had chosen to visit – their senses were brushed by the playful chill in the winter air, by the mild afternoon sunlight that filtered through cottony clouds, and by the cheeriness of the town's clamour on the other side of the alley wall.
From around the craggy corner of the brick wall, Thor could see into a store window opposite their lane. In it stood the mannequin of a rotund, jovial-faced man garbed in cheerful red and white, with black boots. A cornflower-blue signpost beside it proclaimed: Free photos with Santa Claus inside! What looked like street vendors selling hot, pungent food dotted the area visible to Thor, while families, couples and clusters of teenagers roamed about.
Face splitting with a grin, Thor began moving to the alley's opening, before he felt a thin hand tug on his arm.
"If we're to visit Midgard, we have to look the part." His younger brother raised his eyebrows at their dark-hued armour. They would stand out like falcons amidst a flock of pigeons. Thor's cape was like a splash of fresh blood against the crunching layer of downy snow beneath their feet.
Loki gestured casually at Thor, who looked down to see he was suddenly cloaked in softer Midgardian winter attire that was the blue of a gloomy lake. He looked up again and saw Loki buttoning up a long coat that was the shades of a storm cloud. A scarf, wine-red and woolen, was curled around his neck, and Thor could not keep himself from asking in mock accusation, "Brother, why do you get to wear red and I do not?"
Loki tweaked his new scarf. "Because this isn't like a war cape."
"But you just ridded my signature clothing, and with it my signature colour, so it's not right if you wear it instead."
"Thor, you don't own the colour red – "
"But I own my red cape, which you have just vanquished, and now – "
"Fine, you want to wear red? Here."
Thor looked down at himself again, then balked. Afterwards, it took some minutes for Thor to convince Loki to transform the flamboyant Santa Claus outfit back into his previous dark blue coat.
They slipped out surreptitiously into the bustling city square, Thor sporting a wine-red scarf and Loki winding a forest green one around his neck. A wide walkway paved with grey stone slabs stretched languidly before them, from left to right like a horizon. It was fringed by tidy, leafless trees and rows of squat, square buildings that varied vastly in cleanliness. The people also appeared to differ greatly in the stateliness of their manner and clothing. Thor was used to seeing the consistent grandeur of Asgardian composure, but here, the people were as assorted as the rainbow of flowers that dappled their mother's gardens at home.
A few humans wore pointed red hats with a furry white ball hanging from the tip, just like the Santa Claus mannequin he saw earlier in a store window. Many carried parcels bound with patterned paper and ribbons, bulging bags, and either hassled or gleeful expressions. Warmth wafted from everywhere but the winter air. From the strings of tiny iridescent lights lacing lampposts, from the sugary aromas floating from nearby street vendors, and from laughter that sounded like it came naturally from the people milling around.
"So this is Christmas" Loki said meditatively. Thor watched his emerald eyes absorb everything, even the spindly tree branches that looked like thin cracks in the sky behind them. Against Thor's face and neck, the air was as crisp and chilly as new icicles, and he wondered how Loki did not seem to feel the need to rub his bare hands together constantly to chase warmth into them. They began winding their way through the loose crowds.
Several minutes later, Thor waved towards several buildings that housed drinking customers. "Loki!" A passing group of teenagers glanced up at the unusual name. "Many of these buildings are alehouses, and I would gamble they've never had a son of Odin to measure up against in drinking. We should trial the beverages this city has to offer us."
His brother's hand firmly gripped his arm again, steering them past the series of taverns.
"Perhaps we should explore this place before doing anything that involves drinking alcohol around humans."
Thor approved of the noisy play area they passed. Hollering Midgardian children clambered and slid over bright blue and yellow plastic obstacles nailed to the ground. The sheer number of clothing stores that they bypassed amazed him; they all seemed to sell essentially the same type of garb. He was also less impressed by the small library he had to forcibly guide Loki past – he inwardly bet that his brother could read every book there before the sun went down, but he did not particularly want to wait that long while Loki did so.
Thor thought they must have traversed through at least half the city when he decided to announce "Brother, hunger has been clawing at me for what feels like an age, so let's find a place to dine." He motioned towards the nearest block of eateries, from where the aromas of smoking oil, baking pastries and rich wine spilled out every time a door was opened.
"As you wish, but if you discover a nice drink and smash the glass against the floor, I'm letting you talk your own way out of it."
They eventually settled on a blue and white lunch diner that displayed on its windows many posters of a black-haired man flaunting spangled outfits and outlandish poses. Thor flung the diner's heavy glass doors open, to the complaints of the customers inside as a winter breeze swept in. As he entered, the air immediately turned warm and thick with the aroma of frying meat. He saw Loki behind him weaving out of the path of a tipsy middle-aged man who was trying to pat him on the cheek as he exited.
"Good afternoon, sirs." Thor turned. A young woman wearing black attire and a nametag ('Elle') smiled brightly at him from behind a bench. "Just help yourselves to any of the empty tables by the television area. A waiter will be right with you."
He let Loki lead the way to the most isolated table in the furthest corner, Loki discreetly pointing out to him the blaring rectangular windows that were probably the 'televisions.' Thor was soon sinking into a glossy, red leather chair beside Loki, who did not seem to make much of an indent in his.
The next quarter hour then included five mispronunciations of the menu options ("Okay, Thor, stop talking" Loki had said under his breath), a baffled but polite waitress, and Loki eventually choosing a dish at random for Thor so the waitress could leave before she began laughing.
Thor's plate was empty except for crumbs and a leftover sheen of oil ("Loki, do you not ever dine on anything more substantial than the cold air?" he had asked), and their almost-finished mugs of tea no longer let loose fragrant twists of steam.
Thor was in the middle of questioning the point of such a weak drink – it tasted practically of water, so why not just drink hot water instead? – when his eyes fell to something the waitress had placed between their mugs.
"What is this?" It was made of stiff, shiny gold patterned paper and reminded Thor of a giant type of wrapped sweet that Asgardian children sometimes ate.
Loki tilted his head at it. "The waitress said it was a complimentary 'Christmas cracker'. We're supposed to hold one end each, then quickly tug it apart. I saw other customers do it, and some tiny prizes fell out. It seems a little useless."
Thor grinned. "Well, we must try it, Brother, if we're to truly partake in the Christmas revelries. So these 'prizes' must go to the winner of this little tug-of-war?"
"Yes, although I doubt this is something worth being proud of winning."
After several attempts at pulling apart the Christmas cracker, it remained whole.
"It's because you cannot even hold onto it properly, Loki."
"It's not a contest of speed. It would work if you didn't try rip it away before my grip on it is firm enough, so I was trying for a count of three."
Thor shook the glossy paper tube. "I swear, if the two of us cannot even best this ridiculous cracker – "
He started as his brother suddenly nabbed the other end of the cracker and wrenched. A small crack exploded from the torn cylinder, and several tiny objects dropped to the waxy table surface. Loki scooped up a small rectangular card, some little multi-hued plastic animals that apparently had no function at all, and a roll of thin orange parchment. Thor saw the green irises of his eyes flit across the card, and Loki looked up at him earnestly.
"Thor, what do you call a deer with no eyes?"
In the following four seconds, Thor could not fathom what could be written on that card to make his brother ask him that, and with such solemnity. He blinked. "…What?"
Loki just waited, with the same serious air.
Thor felt he was probably missing something, and that the answer was something less literal than 'blind.' He also got the feeling his brother was actually veiling amusement beneath his expression, so he ventured forth warily.
"This is one question that I would leave unsolved. What is a deer with no eyes?"
The grave expression did not drop, but Thor thought he saw a barely-there smirk touch the corner of his mouth before Loki said, "No idea."
This was simply raising more confusion than it was clearing. To Thor's mystification and somewhat annoyance, he could not coax an explanation from his younger brother for the next five minutes, while Loki only responded, "I want to see if you'll understand it yourself."
They agreed mutually to discard the little unusable toys fashioned like animals, then Loki unrolled the bundle of orange paper, shook it out, and presented to Thor the crude paper crown. He tucked over Thor's hair before Thor could protest, and it was suddenly and stubbornly fixed in place despite Thor's attempts to tear it off.
"You should wear it, if you really want to partake in these Christmas revelries, Thor" was all Loki commented.
Thor rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, and Loki cracked another smile.
"It's looks very fetching, Brother, I promise. If I had to choose someone in this place whom I had to be seen with, I would come very close to choosing you."
"Shut up Loki."
Although it may take a few days or so longer this time, the next chapter will be up later :) Leave a review and tell your thoughts on this so far? (Please)
Also, I hope you like snowball fights.